On Wednesday Hawkeye writer Matt Fraction appeared at House of Secrets in Burbank, CA for a signing to raise some money for a very good cause.

Back in November Fraction (Fantastic Four, Invincible Iron Man) announced that he would be rearranging the schedule for his critically adored, fan-favorite series, Hawkeye. The purpose of the schedule shift was for a very specific issue with a very noble purpose. The new seventh issue of Hawkeye would revolve around both Hawkeyes (Clint Barton and Kate Bishop) having to deal with Hurricane Sandy. Most importantly, Fraction promised that he would donate his paycheck and any bonuses/incentives from the issue to the Red Cross’s Hurricane Sandy Relief.

I arrived forty-five minutes into the signing.  As I approached House of Secrets I could see the store was packed; the crowd was  bursting out of the front door and with the popular Grilled Cheese Truck serving outside, the mass of people outside the store was almost as big as the one on the inside.

The line of excited and lively fans snaked through the racks of new comics. It was a long line, but it moving in an orderly fashion. With a donation jar in front of him, Fraction took his time signing comics, taking pictures, and talking with fans, some of whom had come from as far as Anaheim and San Diego. I even saw one fan have Fraction sign an actual arrow.

Comic fans were also treated to seeing and talking with some additional comic creators including  Sam Humphries  (Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, Uncanny X-Force, Sacrifice), Kyle Higgins (Nightwing), and last but not least Ed Brubaker (Fatale, Captain America).

Now here is the point where I get a little personal. Matt Fraction is one of my favorite writers working today and I’d never gotten the chance to meet him, until now. So I’m not going to lie, I may have nerded out for a minute… or sixty. After making my way through the line I nervously stepped up to the couch where Fraction sat. After making a donation,  I shook his hand and thanked him, not only for his writing but for being an inspiration to an aspiring comic writer such as myself. I explained to him that his panel on writing at WonderCon and his spoken word performance of Batman Dreams of Hieronymus Machines were some of my favorite  ComicCon memories EVER!!!

He graciously thanked me and congratulated  me for self-publishing my comic. He held up his pen to sign the comics I brought and asked me my name, to which I said, “Matt.”

With a sly smile he responded “I can spell the s**t out of that.”

He handed me my comics. I thanked him again for all his hard work and let him get back to the rest of the fans waiting in line.

I was there well over two hours and I never saw Fraction take a break or step away from the couch…and yes the donation jar was filled to the brim. If you haven’t already, be sure to pick up Hawkeye #7 it’s one of Marvel’s best book and it’s will help out some people who really need it. All in all it was a great night with a great writer who was doing what he could for a great cause.

Matt Todd

matthew@comicimpact.com